TOPLINE
As protests across the nation continue to force communities to reckon with a history of police brutality and racism, police departments across the U.S. have struggled with recruiting and officer retention, especially in rural America and among minorities.
NEW YORK, USA - JULY 4: An anti-racism protests at Madison Square Park in New York City.
KEY FACTS
In the wake of the protests that followed the killing of George Floyd while in police custody, droves of Minneapolis police department officers have applied to leave the force, with 200 applications having already been submitted, amounting to 20% of the police department.
Low recruitment numbers nation-wide, and a sharp increase in officers choosing to leave law enforcement before well retirement age, have caused a “workforce crisis” according to a 2019 report by the Police Executive Research Forum.
The number of new recruits has been in decline for years, the report said, with some departments reporting a drop between 50% and 70% in new job applications since 2015.
Among the reasons officers are choosing to leave law enforcement or forego the career all together are “increased scrutiny and criticism” of the profession and “negative news stories about police use of force,” the report said.
Recruiting minorities has also proven difficult, with candidates reconsidering their choice of career in light of the protests calling for police reform.
In rural communities, recruitment often suffers because people choose to take more flexible, higher paying jobs in other markets or at more urban police departments.
Key background
Police departments have been struggling to fill positions for years as traditional sources of recruits, like the military, or legacy officers, are in decline. Many departments are in desperate need of recruits with the technological skills to solve modern crimes like identity theft, cyber stalking, and sextortion. In an effort to attract recruits many departments are streamlining the application process, and relaxing hiring standards, especially when it comes to prior drug use, facial hair or tattoos. Recruiters are also shifting focus from the high-octane videos of specialized units using militarized gear, rappelling down walls or using high-powered weapons and instead trying to focus on more accurate portrayals of what police officers do every day, which they believe will help reach more non-traditional recruits with the skills they need to police 21st century crimes.
further reading
As U.S. police struggle to recruit, young cops seeks more humane approach (Reuters)
Police already struggle to find recruits. Public scrutiny makes it harder, poll shows (Miami Herald)
Minneapolis Police Experience Surge of Departures in Aftermath of George Floyd Protests (New York Times)
Workforce Crisis, and What Police Agencies Are Doing About It (Police Executive Research Forum)
